Music Heals the Heart
by Javelinlover
Summary: Rima and Ikuto make a deal for a common cause: revenge. Kind of a songfic, but not the "paragraphs-of-italicized-text" type. Songs are only there to enhance plot. Amu/Nagi and Rima/Ikuto for a little. I don't know what pairings I'll do at the end.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: A Dangerous Deal

Rima wasn't your average sort of girl, who would gossip about the various things she liked or try to climb the popularity hierarchy. Nor would she worry about boys and who they liked. That's why everyone gossiped about her, saying that she was lesbian or transgender. She proved them wrong just a few days after the rumors started. Allegedly to stop the rumors, Rima asked Fujisaki Nagihiko, the third most popular guy in the school, to be her boyfriend. Of course, Nagihiko, being the (read: playboy) nice person he was, accepted her request, much to the chagrin of the other girls in the school.

The most popular girl in Seiyo Academy, Yamabuki Saaya, was pursuing Nagihiko at that time, due to being rejected by No. 1 and No. 2. When Saaya heard that her plans were thwarted, she vowed to get back at "that little shrimp". And so, this resulted in Rima being bullied very… subtly. Because no one wanted to get on a Fujisaki's bad side, the bullies would always do it so that Rima wouldn't know who did it. Although, it was kind of obvious when a username of "TheWonderfulAndAmazingYamaSama" sends the message, "You will NEVER truly win the heart of my Nagihiko-koi! He will ALWAYS belong to ME, you little slut!". But of course, Rima didn't let it get to her. She was later rewarded for her patience by Nagihiko breaking up with her. And of course, of all the people, he chose Amu as her replacement. He dumped her, because Amu asked him to. Not because he didn't love her, not because he was a sick playboy, but because Amu, her best friend, asked him to. And this leads us to the situation of today, with Rima curled up in her signature ball in the corner of the classroom.

Rima didn't understand. Why would Amu, of all people, try to break her? She wasn't really upset with Nagihiko, because she had expected it sooner or later with a guy as popular as him. But Amu? Amu's betrayal hit her as hard as a speeding car, nearly breaking her queen-like facade. She curled up tighter, trying to keep her composure. Eventually, she sighed and decided that thinking about the problem would only make it worse. She rolled out of my fetal position, only then realizing there was someone else in the room with her.

Across the classroom, Ikuto was just as confused. He originally thought that, as a good friend and knowing about his crush on Amu, Nagihiko would gently reject her. But apparently Nagihiko wanted Amu more than he valued his friendship with Ikuto. Ikuto barely refrained from slamming his head on the table in frustration. Hearing a sigh, he slowly turned around and saw none other than Nagihiko's latest victim, Rima Mashiro. However, to Ikuto's surprise, Rima didn't look how most people look after being dumped. Instead, she just looked done.

"Aren't you mad at Nagi for breaking up with you?" The words slipped out of Ikuto's mouth, curiosity overpowering the urge to keep rumors from spreading that "the badass Ikuto" was associating with the outcast Rima Mashiro. He shrugged it off, seeing as there was almost no one in the school at this time anyway.

Rima glanced over skeptically, arching her left eyebrow. "Who says I'm not?" she replied.

"Well, you don't really look mad," he said, looking at her face. Her eyes had no hint of anger, just resignation. But at Ikuto's words, he saw a spark flare in her golden orbs.

"I am mad. But not at Nagihiko. I'm mad at Amu, for freaking betraying me!" Rima shrieked.

"Oh," he said. It made sense to Ikuto now, the resignation, the anger when he mentioned her looking mad. An idea suddenly flared to life in his mind. "Well, how about a truce?" he suggested.

"What do you mean?" she answered, the eyebrow that had just settled into it's previous position shooting up again.

"I mean," he explained, "I want revenge on Nagi for taking Amu, and you want revenge on Amu for taking Nagi. So, do you want to make a deal so we can both take our revenge?"

A smirk crossed her face. "I like that idea. What are you suggesting?"

Ikuto mirrored her devilish smile and responded, "Well, as the most popular guy in the school and the valedictorian, I can get a lot of favors done for me. Pretend to sprain your ankle or get a cold or something, and wait for me in the nurse's office around noon."

Rima said, "Deal. One condition though," she held up one finger. "Neither you nor I are allowed to get together with Amu or Nagihiko respectively until one month after the deal is complete."

"Deal."

The newly formed team shook hands and left the school in opposing directions. Ikuto knew this was risky, but he did it anyway. Because a deal formed through a common enemy was a very dangerous deal indeed.

 **A/N: Sorry if it's kind of crappy, I wrote it in a rush.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: The Contest

 **A/N: I don't own Shugo Chara.**

Chapter Two: The Contest

The petite blonde girl got out of bed to a beeping sound, after attempting to muffle the sound with her pillow. She sleepily stumbled over to the alarm clock and turned it off. Not registering her surroundings for a couple seconds, the girl stood there dumbly. But then, as if a fire had lit an explosion, she rushed around getting herself ready for the school day and, in turn, her revenge.

The morning went by in a blur for Rima. Putting on her uniform, brushing the tangles out of her hair, walking to school, class, then, finally, it was lunchtime. As soon as the bell rung, she rose from her desk, which was unfortunately right next to Nagihiko's and Amu's, and intentionally tripped over Amu's bookbag, which was lying on the ground. She fell flat on her face, much to the students' amusement. Even Amu, her former best friend, was laughing at her clumsiness. She slowly rose, only to collapse. Again, the class burst into peals of laughter.

Tentatively, she raised her hand and asked, "Sensei, may I go to the infirmary?" The teacher nodded, and Rima carefully picked herself up from the floor, not letting her pained expression slip. Limping over to the infirmary with her bookbag slung over her shoulder, she made sure to add a wince and a hissed ow every few steps. But she felt a stare burn into her back, reminding Rima that there was one person who wasn't fooled by her acting.

Finally, she reached the health office and sat down on the bed there. She was told to wait there, as the nurse had just driven off for lunch and had to be called. After a few minutes, Ikuto stumbled in, holding a tissue to his nose, and flopped down on the bed next to hers, directing her a curious glance as he hissed a question. "What did you do? I was hearing rumors about how you were sent to the infirmary after trying to punch Amu, but apparently you tripped and sprained your ankle instead."

"I just tripped over Amu's bookbag and made a very convincing display of it," she replied quietly. "Anyway, what was your plan?"

"I was thinking a bit of a popularity hit to Nagi and Amu's popularity." Ikuto said.

"Sounds interesting. But how exactly would we achieve this?"

"Okay, how good are you with music?" Ikuto asked.

Rima's curiosity piqued a bit at the mention of music. "I can sing, play piano, and compose pretty well. I can also play the drums a little bit." she answered, quirking an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Great, that's awesome, because I can sing too and play guitar. So, I was thinking of knocking Amu and Nagi down the popularity ladder. Amu is No. 2, right?" Ikuto inquired, barely able to keep the excitement off of his face.

To be honest, Rima still wasn't sure what he was suggesting, but she confirmed the fact with a nod.

"Yeah, so I'm going to ask the principal to host an anonymous music contest for the top sixteen most popular girls and boys and their chosen partners. Most likely, Amu and Nagi will be performing with each other. And I'll pick you as my partner, but we'll both be incognito, so no one will know. The end result will be their descent into the arms of Satan, where they rightfully belong, and our rise into the world of popularity. Everyone, and I mean everyone, will be talking about us instead of them. **(Ikuto's Tadagay mindset: We are so evilly devious! AHAHAHAHHA! THEN WE WILL RULE THE UNIVERSE TOGETHER MUAHAHAHAHA)** Then Nagi and Amu will know how it is to have something precious to them taken away, capish?" Ikuto explained hurriedly, even though it was out of character for him (but remember, authors control everything). In hindsight, it was a really good idea, if one overlooked the fact that it was completely idealistic. Rima didn't have anything better though, so she nodded and spoke, crossing her arms.

"Let's get started, then." Rima was already starting for the door when she halted abruptly and tilted her head back at Ikuto. "Actually, I still have one question. Why the infirmary?"

Suddenly, Ikuto's face had sheepishness written all over it."It's the only place I can talk to you without raising a shitload of rumors."

Then she understood. He would be mobbed everywhere else. Rima sighed and turned, pushing the door open to leave. Such are the woes of popular people.

 **A/N: Sorry it's short, I don't really write that well.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I don't own Shugo Chara.**

Chapter Three: MT Heart (Empty Heart)

Ikuto's POV

Heh. This is perfect, because I know Nagi is horrible at singing and music in general. I know the principal loves music, and would approve this. I got this.

-timeskip-

"So, today, I have gathered you in an emergency assembly for an announcement. Seiyo Academy will be holding an anonymous music contest hosted by Hoshina Utau." the principal explained.

There were many hushed whispers at the name 'Hoshina Utau'. Speculations at what would happen in the next week floated around over the crowd, until they were hushed by a smile from the principal and him continuing on.

"It will be between the top eight voted people, each with a partner picked by the voted. The contestants will record a music video or audio track together for each round. The contestants can record a parody, a cover, or an original. A week will be given to the contestants to film each video or audio track. As it is anonymous, the contestants must come up with a name that doesn't include their real-life names. If the contestants choose to film the video, they must not reveal who they are. For instance, if Tsukiyomi Ikuto were chosen, he would not be a valid contestant if he showed up as he is dressed now. Tsukiyomi-san, please stand so that other students may see you." the principal lectured, embellishing the last sentence with a smirk towards me and a wave of his hand.

I sighed and stood up, deciding to humor the old man. He continued, "You can clearly recognize him as Tsukiyomi Ikuto, and naturally, the ladies who like him," he said with a wink, "would vote for him, regardless of his musical talent."

"So, therefore," he said, becoming serious, "The contestants are not allowed to gain votes by actively using their existing popularity. If the administrators of the contest, which are, by the way, Hoshina Utau, myself, and two other people, find out that you have in any way tried to coerce someone into unwillingly voting for you, you will be immediately disqualified."

Then, a sudden change overcame him and the principal smiled. "Anyway," he said cheerfully, "let's get onto the fun stuff! The reward will be a tour with Hoshina Utau! An entire two weeks you get off from school, with all your assignments graded 100%!" Instantly, the crowd cheered and started whispering animatedly.

"Try your hardest to get this grand prize! Now, does anyone have any questions?" the principal beamed. A few seconds passed with the students still eagerly discussing among themselves. Then a hand raised over the crowd.

"Yes, what's your question?" said the principal.

The student that the hand belonged to stood up. I smirked, seeing that it was Nagi. He cleared his throat and said, "If a student doesn't want to participate in this competition, and is voted as one of the eight, is the student in question allowed to _not_ participate?"

The principal raised an eyebrow and replied, "The student in question would be required to participate, as anything else would set a bad precedent."

Nagi sat down and immediately, another hand shot up. The hand was acknowledged by the principal, and the student stood up. It was Amu. She asked, "If two people who are voted as one of the eight decide to pair up, are they allowed to?"

"Yes," the principal replied. "The ninth person will be allowed to compete, should that happen. Any more questions?"

There were a few murmurs, but no one else raised their hands.

"Great! Back to your classes, then. You will be given slips of paper on which to write one person's name of who you think should compete. You are not allowed to vote yourself, by the way. The voted will be posted at the end of the day by one of the other admin. Please don't mob her. Now, goodbye!" announced the principal.

There was a hubbub as everyone rose from their seats and started chatting about the contest and what songs they would do if chosen. I looked around and saw Rima staring at me. She saw that she had my attention and mouthed, " _How the fuck did you get the_ principal _in on it?_ "

I just smirked and mouthed back, " _I have my ways._ " Let the games begin, everyone. Time to get this thing rolling.

-timeskip-

Rima's POV

I have no idea how the fuck Ikuto got the _principal_ in on our revenge, but it works. I filled out my slip with Ikuto's name, hopefully he filled his out with mine. The bell rang, then I remembered the other duty I had. I stood up and walked to the principal's office. Luckily, no one noticed me slipping into the office in their hurry to find the list of participants. Entering the office, I gave the principal a small smile and he returned it, along with the list of the chosen. I glanced at it and scanned over the names. I wasn't too surprised with the layout. It was like this:

Tsukiyomi Ikuto

Souma Kukai

Yamabuki Saaya

Fujisaki Nagihiko

Hinamori Amu

Fujisaki Nadeshiko

Yuiki Yaya

Sanjo Kairi

In case of two people pairing with each other, the following people will take the place.

Kirishima Fuyuki

Sakurai Yua

I snorted and shrugged. Figures, the purple-head would get the death-number. (4 in Chinese sounds like the word for death. Rima is just superstitious here.) I casually strolled out of the office and taped up the list. Luckily, I was able to do it while pretending to fill out a form, so no one suspected me. I internally gave myself a pat on the back for doing it so quietly. I smiled and walked to my locker.

A few seconds later, I heard a shout of "Everyone, the results of the votes are up!" and almost got trampled by the resulting horde of people rushing toward the voice. I glanced over and saw that the one who shouted was none other than Fujisaki Nadeshiko, the grape-head's twin. Seeing as everyone was looking at her curiously, I thought, "Good, they think she's one of the mystery admin. Now they won't be as cautious around Ikuto and I."

Afterschool, Rooftop

I sat cross-legged on the roof with Ikuto. He claimed the strange locations were to avoid suspicion and rumors.

"Anyways, we're a partenrship, right? What are we going to call ourselves? It'd be a shame if we went through all this trouble to get the music competition going and didn't win." I said pessimistically.

"Don't worry, I've already thought of most of the stuff we need. As to the name, what do you think of 'MT Heart'?" Ikuto suggested.

I thought about it. 'Empty Heart' sounded perfect for what I was feeling. I smiled and said, "That's perfect."

 **A/N: I'm going to try and update every other day, but it'll take a long time to write long chapters. Hopefully, I can get to the music part soon. Please R &R if you liked it, just so I know. And if you have some suggestions to the songs that should be done by anyone other than MT Heart, please PM me. Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I don't own Shugo Chara. But I do own the plot and the band names. By the way, I'm going to write over the story after some suggestions from my friend, so the update rate will probably be every other day.**

Chapter Four: Production

-3 PM, Hoshina Utau's recording studio-

Rima was in shock. She just found out that Hoshina Utau was Ikuto's sister and that MT Heart would be recording at her studio. She sat on a chair, her feet dangling off the ground, as she tried to comprehend this information. However, she didn't get long to comprehend this. A voice called her, breaking her reverie.

"Hey, Creampuff, are you going to sit there all day? We have to get composing, you know." Ikuto said nonchalantly, leaning against the wall. Rima sat up with a start and immediately got out of the chair. She crossed over to Ikuto and then registered. She stopped dead in her tracks and said one word.

"Creampuff?"

Ikuto started laughing. "Oh my god, that was AMAZING. Your face... " He cracked up, then composed himself.

"Anyway, we have to write our songs. We are NOT doing a cover after I wrote perfect lyrics. You just have to write music that fits them." Ikuto said.

Rima sighed, then said, "Alright, do you have a piano?" Ikuto nodded and led the way to a room with a grand piano. He handed her the lyrics, and sat down on the floor.

She analyzed the lyrics and finally said, "I'm presuming you want to go for a meaningful tone rather than a party one?" Ikuto nodded.

"Alright then," Rima ordered. "I'm allotting one day for composition and three for choreography, and two for practicing the harmonies. That leaves one day to actually record and one day to check over everything and submit. We ARE doing a music video, right?"

Ikuto nodded and said, "We've gotta go above and beyond if we're to win this."

Rima smiled in understanding, then got to work.

-5 PM-

Sighing, the exhausted girl stood up from the piano and went to find Ikuto, who had gone to find his sister about 30 minutes earlier. She opened the door and crashed into the very guy she was trying to find. "Hey Ikuto, I finished the piano part! Now I just need to compose the guitar part and the drum part. The drums should take only a half hour, i just need to work out the rhythm and some tricky parts."

Ikuto smiled and said, "Can I hear the piano part?"

"Nope! I'm not going to show you until the entire thing is finished. It's just some chords anyway." responded Rima. "Do you guys have a drumset?"

Ikuto snorted, "This place has almost every music instrument you can imagine. The drums are over here." He led the way to a door that opened up to an assortment of drums and Rima got to work.

-8 PM-

"Done! Finally!" Rima exclaimed. Ikuto, who was getting a snack from the vending machine, hurried to the drum room, where the exclamation had come from. He found Rima slumped over the drums, holding a sheaf of papers in one hand and a pair of drumsticks in the other. Ikuto took the sheaf of papers and looked at them. His eyes widened. "Are you sure you can play this? The drum part looks really complicated." he said worriedly.

"Well, I wouldn't write it if I couldn't play, would I?" asked Rima hypothetically. Ikuto shrugged and said, "Now, can I hear it?"

The blond sighed and said, "I'm too tired. Personally, I want to go have a nice meal and go home. You can keep the composition and try to play the guitar part. I got plenty of practice today while composing. Just don't lose it." She walked back the blue-haired boy and out of the studio.

Ikuto watched her go, then sighed. He sensed that this week would be very difficult for him, after seeing how devotedly Rima worked. But then, he smiled in satisfaction. All the better for the revenge, he thought.

 **A/N: I'm going to** _ **try**_ **to update every other day, but I don't know for now. I'm going to a debate camp, so I might be a little busy. But I can guarantee at least three chapters in the next 2 weeks, so hopefully that's some reassurance. Please R &R if you can!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: This Little Girl

 **A/N: I'm probably going to start the contest two chapters from now. I don't own Shugo Chara or any of the songs.**

Rima smiled as she walked home. The look on Ikuto's face after he saw the complicated drum part? Priceless. She knew she would mess up at some points, but it was going to be quiet anyway. She was a bit worried about Ikuto, though.

She knew her own capabilities to sing and play at the same time, but it wasn't as natural for most people as it was for her. Sighing, she mentally noted to tell Ikuto to practice playing the guitar while singing. After all, she gave Ikuto the part with more singing, as she knew she'd be busy with both the piano and drums. It would be a shame if he messed up. Rima decided she would worry about that later. For now, it would be best to practice her singing.

She got out her phone and earbuds and put them on. Pressing play, she listened for a few seconds and grinned. It was "This Little Girl", one of her personal favorites. Waiting a few moments, she debated if she should sing this song loudly. Rima decided that she didn't care who heard. "I'm two steps from the edge." she sang gleefully. "Don't push me over it." she sang.

With a crazed grin, she sang, "Don't you know, don't you kno-o-ow. Every girl is cap-a-ble of murder. If you hurt 'er. Watch out, you don't push me any further, any further. You're not the only one- walkin' round with a loaded gu-u-un." She made a motion of pulling back the hammer on a gun and swayed her hips in time to the music. "This little girl is cap-a-ble of murder. 'Cause you hurt 'er."

"Murder, if you hurt 'er." she echoed. "Don't you know, you should never treat a girl like that. Got a good alibi and my bags all packed. Don't you know, you should never treat a girl like that. 'Cause the next one's gonna have the HAMMER PULLED BACK!" she rapped.

"Every girl is cap-a-ble of murder. Watch out you don't push me any further," she sang again.

"But you fucking hurt her." Rima spat.

Again, she sang the chorus and smiled in satisfaction as the song ended. Reaching her house a few moments later, she unlocked the door and went to her room.

Unbeknownst to her, a certain purple-head had seen her singing on the sidewalk, and so, followed her. He was very troubled by the lyrics she sang, as he knew the only two people who had majorly hurt her in the past month were him and Amu. And considering the fact that a music contest he was required to participate in was started around the same time, he felt a nervous sense of foreboding and knew nothing good could come out of this.

 **A/N: Sorry if it's too short for your cravings, but I did this at 3 AM, so this is all you're getting for now.**

To Reihime: I'm not going to focus on Amuhiko, but I will put some in.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry, debate camp is too intense. :C I'm having trouble finding time to update, so please forgive me.**

Chapter Six: The Yamabuki Incident

Rima turned off the light and laid down on her bed. She curled up in the fetal position and started thinking. She didn't want this to fail, not now. Deep in thought, she mused over the competition and the music she had completed only minutes previously. Rima worried that the audience would like it. Maybe they liked more of a party theme… Sighing, she turned over and fell asleep.

-The next day-

Rima woke with a start, panting. It was a dream of Amu and Nagihiko's performance, and everyone cheered for them. She sighed, putting her tiny head in her hands, and realized that good music wasn't enough. They had to make an awesome video too, in order to win. Sighing yet again, the petite blonde got ready for the day.

Walking to school, Rima was sleepily shuffling along when she got knocked over by Saaya's minions. "Sorry, shrimp! Maybe you should stand up next time! Be glad that Saaya-sama's Nagihiko-koi dumped you, or you would get a lot worse." they called over their shoulders. "Now let's go show that pink-haired bitch who's number one!" Rima picked herself off the ground and kept plodding along to Seiyo. Normally she would call Amu and tell her, but she really wasn't in the mood. Besides, Amu would probably be protected by that grape head anyway. She resignedly pulled out her flip phone and sent Amu, "Warning: Red head possy coming, hit me already. Stick by purple head." Flipping her phone closed, she stuffed it in her bag and entered the school gates.

Amu started as her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled of her headphones in the music room and slipped out her phone. Her eyes narrowed. Seeing that the sender was Rima, she locked her phone, thinking that she didn't need any spiteful messages to ruin her mood. Then, for good measure, she put it in her bag so it wouldn't bother her anymore… not even seeing the warning that Rima sent despite Amu ruining their friendship. Amu put her headphones back on and returned to recording her cover. A few minutes later, the door to the music room slid open. Amu turned around with a hiss and snarled, "What do you want? I'm trying to record here!"

Seven girls stood there, who Amu recognized as Saaya's fangirls. Unplugging her headphones, Amu ran. She was stupid to make an enemy out of Rima, but she wasn't that stupid to wait while seven girls who clearly were there to . She resignedly thought, "That text from Rima… I should've read it." She ran for her life, belatedly thinking, "Goddammit."

Rima walked into class 3-A and glanced around. She gulped. Amu's seat was empty, but Nagihiko's wasn't. She walked over to her desk and whispered to Nagihiko, "Where's Amu?" He turned around, with a worried expression on his face and said, "I don't know. She's almost never late for class, and-" Nagihiko fell silent when he realized who he was talking to. With all his effort, he ignored the guilty, sinking feeling in his heart and curled his lip. "Why do you care? Revenge?"

Rima flinched and said, "I just wanted to know if Amu was okay. I got attacked by Saaya's possy this morning and overheard them saying 'Let's go teach that pink-haired bitch a lesson.' or something. So you can understand if I'm worried about my best friend, right?"

This time, it was Nagihiko's turn to flinch, but he said nothing. Instead, he got up and ran out the door, crashing into the poor teacher who was already very clumsy. Nikaidou-sensei pretended to look confused, but then gathered his papers, crossed into the classroom, and gave Rima a covert thumbs-up. Rima smiled innocently in reply as she thought, "Hook, line, and sinker."

Silently, she pulled a CD out of her bag and slipped it into Nagihiko's bag. It read, "'Take a Hint' by Victoria Justice". Sighing in satisfaction, she leaned back in her seat and smiled. Her job of making sure they got to the quarter-finals was done. On another thought, she ripped off a piece of notebook paper and scribbled in her messiest writing "N/A: Not Available" and slipped in the CD cover.

As soon as she sat down, Rima heard a voice say, "Hey, shrimp. Where's your 'friend'?" She looked up and Saaya stood there, in all her idiotic glory.

Rima promptly took out her book and started reading. Saaya's face reddened to match her hair and she kicked Rima's table… and immediately regretted it. "Ow, ow, ow." Saaya hopped around like the idiot she was, while Rima closed the book, placed on the said table, and smiled pleasantly at the moronic redhead that was stumbling around like a drunken fool. "Did you need something?" she asked, barely suppressing the urge to burst out laughing.

The redhead's face somehow contorted into an expression mixed pain and rage. "You little bitch! What the fuck did you do to my foot?" she screamed at Rima.

"Yamabuki-san, detention afterschool tomorrow!" Nikaidou-sensei called over.

"What the fu-" Saaya attempted to swear, but was cut off by Nikaidou-sensei stating, "Two hours!"

"Why the fu-"

"Three hours!"

Saaya fumed and steam almost shot out of her ears. She opened her mouth to do who-knows-what, probably make an even bigger fool out of herself, when she was interrupted by Rima saying again, "Did you need something?"

The angry redhead composed herself and spat with her eyes narrowed, "I _said_ , _where's your friend?_ With _my_ Nagihiko-koi?" Rima's expression cleared and she said, "I really never knew that redheads could be bimbos, but you've surprised me yet again."

The little spat that was basically Rima sitting there and Saaya making a fool of herself came to an abrupt halt when a voice said, "Excuse me, but you're blocking my seat." Saaya spun and almost fell over. The owner of the voice was none other than Nagihiko Fujisaki, followed by Amu. Saaya leapt on Nagihiko, shoving her -ehem- breasts onto Nagihiko's arm. "Waaah, Nagihiko-koi, Mashiro-san is being mean to me!" Then she fell face-first on the floor, courtesy of Amu pulling Nagihiko out of Saaya's grasp. Saaya picked herself off the floor and snarled at Amu, "You little slut, trying to take my Nagihiko-koi from me. His heart will _never_ truly belong to you."

At that moment, Rima lost it. She cracked up, tears clinging to her eyelashes. "Wow, Saaya. I was having a hard time of thinking what I could do to make you look even _more_ like a doxy, but apparently you're an idiot as well, because you just did it for me! Thank you!" Rima said, clapping her hands with a delighted smile on her face.

Then the bell rang, and school started. "Let these games begin, everyone. Let the battle for our dignity start." she thought, internally smirking.

 **A/N: I'm sorry. Just wanted to get that out there. Please review, as I'd like to incorporate your ideas in as well! Please PM me if you have ideas for songs or band names for anyone other than MT Heart or Nagihiko and Amu. Review as well, please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry, update rate will be slow during the school year. I know you guys don't want to hear excuses and just want more story. I understand that. So I'm going to write to the best of my ability, okay?**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara or the songs mentioned in this story. If you want to listen to the songs, I'll list them at the bottom of the chapter and you can listen to them in your free time if you want.**

Chapter Seven: Recording

Rima sighed and placed her hands behind her head. Yawning and stretching er hands up into the air, she said sleepily, "I'm so glad school is over now… I wanna take a nap." And then she collapsed on the desk sleepily, her mass of blonde hair cascading in waves over the edge of her desk.

She kept this facade up until everyone had left the room, then she grabbed her bookbag and slung over her shoulder. Double-checking that no one was lingering, she peeked out into the hallway. With a sigh of relief, she found it empty. She walked to class 4-A and found Ikuto lounging there, surrounded by people. Rima withdrew quickly from the doorway and hurried to the ladies' room.

Quickly, she ducked into a stall and took a hairnet and a wig out of her bag. Restraining her mass of unruly blonde hair with the hairnet and taking off her hairband, she put the stomach-length brown wig with a slight purplish tint around the bangs on and walked out of the bathroom. Walking confidently into the classroom and over to Ikuto, she pouted childishly and tugged on Ikuto's sleeve.

"Iku-chii, let's go!" she whined. Ikuto's left eyebrow shot up covertly as he recognized Rima's golden-hued eyes and her fake pout.

He said smoothly, "Sorry, guys, I gotta go now." and slipped out of the room before anyone could question who the girl was or what she meant to him. The seemingly childish brunette waved at the group then followed the blue-haired boy out the door. The pair hurried out of the school and to the recording studio.

Once they were safely inside, Ikuto turned to the former blonde, now brunette and said, "Is that really your disguise? Anyone who knows you even a bit will recognize you. Not many people have golden eyes, you know."

Rima rolled the said eyes and replied, "I'm gonna wear contacts, duh. Should I go with brown, blue or green?"

Ikuto frowned critically and said, "I think you should go with green. It looks good with brown hair."

"I agree, but do you really want me to look like a tiny trap Kukai?" Rima asked, cocking her left eyebrow.

Ikuto's reaction to the statement was immediate. His brain theater **(yes this is a reference)** conjured up an image of a chibi version of his best friend crossdressing. Ikuto burst out laughing and soon had Rima in stitches too, once the absurdity of her statement set in. Slowly, the laughs were stifled and the pair got serious again.

"Okay, so green is out. I don't want brown eyes, really. So I think I should have blue eyes." Rima said nonchalantly. Too nonchalantly. Ikuto detected the merest trace of an emotion. Was it... hurt? Then he realized. Brown was the color of Nagihiko's eyes.

"Blue is good. Like an ice-blue?" Ikuto said, deciding to not press the issue.

"Yeah, that's good." Rima said, pulling out a pair of contacts. She crossed the lobby over to the restroom and locked the door. Unscrewing the cap for the eyedrops, she dropped a few in each eye then slipped in the contacts. Rima stuffed the eyedrops and contact holder back in her bag. After checking her wig to make sure that every blond hair was restrained, she unlocked the door and walked over to Ikuto. Rima gave him a sweet smile and said, "Hi! My name is- on second thought, what do I call my stage personality?"

Ikuto looked over and assessed her look. The ice-blue eyes complemented the brown hair nicely. It actually looked pretty natural. Then he realized that Rima had asked a question and thought carefully. "I guess you could call yourself M. It's ambiguous enough."

Rima frowned. "But then wouldn't it be a better idea to call myself T, so people don't put two and two together? I mean, I'm guessing the name is from our last names combined."

Ikuto's eyes widened. He hadn't expected anyone to figure it out so quickly. He said, "Alright, you can call yourself T. That means I'm M?"

Rima nodded silently. Then her eyes narrowed. "Are you going to wear a disguise, or are you going to get us disqualified?"

"Of course I'm going to wear a disguise. I'm not going to work hard and plot this impeccable revenge plan and then spoil it by forgetting a disguise." Ikuto scoffed.

"Then what colors are you going to get? I have to order a wig and contacts for you too, you know. Unless you want green or brown eyes. I have those contacts already." Rima responded.

The blue-haired boy considered the idea. "I think I'll go with the green eyes, but black hair. I've always wanted black hair."

"Right," Rima said, rolling her eyes and rifling through her bag. "I'll go order the wig then. Here are the contacts. They're more of a forest green, though. I don't like olive. Take it or leave it."

Ikuto caught the contacts that were chucked at him. He barely restrained the urge to smirk and say, "Is the best you can throw, Creampuff?" instead opting to say, "I'll take it," and walk over to the bathroom. He closed the door and locked it. Peering at his eyes, he carefully put the contacts in, taking great care to not aggravate his eyes. Once they were in, he blinked. The contacts were like a second cornea. They weren't too bad, he thought. He walked out of the bathroom with his newly green eyes and sat down on his old seat next to Rima.

"Hey, should I call you T now, whenever we're in disguise? Just in case, so that if we get spied on, they won't learn anything?" Ikuto suddenly said.

Rima didn't look up from her phone. "Sure." she said. Locking her phone and slipping it back into her bag, she stood up and walked over to the door into the recording station.

"I'm thinking we should record first, then sing in time to the recording on set. You okay with that?" she said, glancing over at Ikuto.

Ikuto shrugged and said, "If you want to discuss that stuff, go talk to Utau. I'm not that good with production. I'd prefer to just be handed some lyrics, notes, and a guitar."

"Right," Rima said. "Then let's go. Where's the recording booth?"

"Over there," the bluenette responded, leading the way.

The pair walked to the recording station silently, as to not attract any attention. Once inside, they got to work.

 **-1 hour later-**

"Is this finally satisfactory, Rima?" Ikuto tiredly said. Rima had worked him raw in the past hour, making him play the same guitar chords over and over until he finally played through the entire song flawlessly.

"Yes," Rima replied curtly. "Now comes the hard for me: drums." She crossed over to the drum room, walked in, and dragged parts of a drumset out. The tiny girl proceeded to work like a master, assembling the set within seconds.

"Right. So, I'm going to play this piece and I want you to criticize me if you think it's sounds weird, like I did with you."

Ikuto shrugged and and nodded. He really didn't know how the drum part went, so he likely would just be sitting there. Besides, if Rima was as hard of a critic on herself as she was on Ikuto, her part would be perfect. He didn't play the drums himself, so he likely would have little to no idea what Rima was playing. But if she was as harsh on herself as she was on him, the piece would probably be perfect. These thoughts were driven from his mind as the guitar chords that he had just finished began playing from the headphones.

Rima began rhythmically hitting a slow, steady beat to the chords, then added in a few beats of the top-hat cymbal clashy pedal thing. The blonde started to get lost and drift in the music in progress.

The boy sat there in awe as the girl at the drums ensnared **(heh if you're familiar with drums you'll get that)** the rhythm of the piece perfectly. Of course, to Rima, she was just playing the beat of a song, but to Ikuto, she was a being of rhythmical perfection.

As she finished the song, Rima glanced over at Ikuto and was shocked to see him staring her with a dumbfounded look. As soon as the sounds of the last cymbal crash faded away, she ended the recording and asked, "How was it?"

An awkward silence filled the air for a couple seconds before Ikuto snapped out his trance and almost shouted, "That. Was. AMAZING." Rima winced and half-covered her ears.

"It wasn't _that_ good, was it? I was just hitting some rhythms." said Rima, left eyebrow shooting up yet again.

Ikuto shrugged and said, "It sounded amazing to me."

Deciding not to argue, as they still had a lot more work to do, Rima smirked and said mischieviously, "Well, if you thought that was good, then you're in for a real treat now. Drums aren't even my best instrument. So now, it's piano time!"

Ikuto nodded contritely and internally thought, "I don't see how anything can be much better than that." Little did he know that Rima was none other than the national piano champion in disguise.

 **Song from Chapter 5- This Little Girl**

 **Search in Youtube "This Little Girl Nightcore" or, if you want to hear the original, "This Little Girl Cady Groves".**


End file.
